Bill Blake Jr.

After graduating high school in ‘56, Bill spent several years conditioning horses for fair races before enlisting in the Army as a mechanic. Bill started his harness racing career in 1965 at Hinsdale NH, Green Mt., VT, and Rockingham Park with his father’s 16 horses, working as a groom while his brother Wendell did the driving. Bill won his first race at Green Mt. in 1966. Bill received the Johnny Page Award for up-and-coming driver in 1976 at Saratoga Raceway.

Bill trained many notable hard-racing pacers and trotters (Mark’s Pal set a 2:01 record for 11-year-olds in ‘78 and retired at 14 with over $100,000 in earnings. 1989 jump-started his stable with two powerful 3-year-olds Silk Snow (Gore/Whiteface Mountain $18,575 Series Final in a series record 1:58.3), and Robalo (24 - 8-4-3). Among other notables were Keystone Twist, Twin Bets, Corporate Fella, DC Jean and the 1999, 1998 Horse of the Year, Trotter of the Year, Aged Trotter of the Year 3YO Trotter of the Year (‘97), 2YO Trotter of the Year (‘96) American Kash, owned by Larry Huggins, was the superior star of the Blake Jr. Racing stable. American Kash was inducted into the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame in June, 2003.

Bill and his late wife, Barbara, married in 1966, have 4 daughters and several grandchildren which include a set of twin girls. Barbara passed away in the year 2000.

Training Record:

Year

Starts

1st

2nd

3rd

UTR

Purses

2014

48

0

4

4

.074

$8,659

2013

58

3

7

4

.142

$24,437

2010

64

2

12

8

.177

$32,143

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